. >> president obama and lawmakers return to washington today with five days left to avoid the fiscal cliff. >> danielle leigh reports on the scramble to come together fast. >> as president obama leaves hawaii for washington, tension on capitol hill is on high. >> i don't see how you could handle a large plan involving tax reform in a matter of days. >> serious doubt is setting in. even starbucks is getting involved. john boehner said is sitting this round out. he failed to get enough house republicans to support his own plan just before christmas. >> i think that john boehner is being controlled unfortunately by the right wing. >> that leaves it up to harry reid and the rest of the senate to find a solution. aides say the plan would avoid tax increases and would eliminate some big spending cuts and restore unemployment benefits. >> you are likely to see a two- step process. dealing with the immediate dynamics so you can set up a situation where you can do with the larger situation. >> without a deal, bush-era tax cuts will expire on january 1. congress set up the deadline hoping it w